A Ruby, A Juniper Tree and Crossed Swords
by SomeReader
Summary: Ozpin sees war looming over the horizon. Years of peace have rusted too many swords and teams RWBY and JNPR are not yet ready. He assigns one of his most trusted students to sharpen their skills and hone their craft. Will this effort pay off? Or will it just be more wasted energy?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N- I've been a fan of RWBY for about 3 months now ever since my friend introduced the show to me. I love the crazy badass weapons that Monty Oum comes up with and love his characters even more. After reading through some fanfics for RWBY, I decided to do my own shameless self insert (I admit it, OCs are just the people we wish we were.)  
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**All aspects of RWBY belong to Monty Oum/Lie Ren except for my OCs and Ideas, unless Monty/Ren makes them canon then he gets to keep the credit. I also do not own anything that I use for inspiration but forget to credit. (Let's be honest, everything needs a foundation.)**

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><p>Beacon Academy, the largest and no doubt most famous school of huntsmanship available in the world of remnant. A place where legends of great heroes, great heroines and whatever is in between, are born. Within one of the academy's many lecture theaters, the third years were 'intently' listening to another 'fascinating' lecture about Professor Peter Ports heroic exploits against the creatures of Grimm.<p>

"… and it was just then that I swung my weapon and cleaved one of the foul beasts in two but another Beowolf snuck up from behind and disarmed me. I quickly and instinctively leapt towards the beast and began wrestling my prey to the ground…" the elderly professor bellowed.

Most of the lecture theater had pretty much fallen asleep. Four students in particular sat on the right most end of the middle row. A tall and tanned young man with long, wavy brown hair tied back in a shoulder length ponytail. He leaned back against his chair in a relaxed manner but kept his dark brown eyes locked onto the elderly professor despite not paying any actual attention.

Sitting on his right was his teammate, a petite woman with olive skin and long dark blue hair reaching down to her waist with three braids, two on the left side of her face and one on the right. She was currently asleep and using her arms as pillows.

On her right was a young man of average build diligently taking notes. He had bright red hair held back by a head band and light blue eyes as well as skin that was a lighter shade to the teammates on his left. He groaned in annoyance at how his teammates acted during class but they never changed even if he told them off.

At the end of the row was the team leader. A pale and slightly slender man who stood half a head shorter than his farthest left teammate. His black hair was jaw length with the front bangs framing his face with one lock hanging down his face, stopping between his eyes while the rest was tied back in a short ponytail. He rested the side of his head on his right hand and was scribbling musical notes in his notebook with his left with his eyes closed.

One would have assumed he was listening to classical music through the earphone hidden from view by his hand, but only his teammate and friend who sat beside him could hear the face melting heavy metal being blasted into his ear. This man was now 19 year old and his name was…

"Mr. Cipher Vanheist." The elderly professor Port called out but Cipher did not hear. "… Mr. Vanheist?"

"Hey jerk! Back to reality!" The serious red head whispered while giving his team leader a swift kick to the shin from under the table.

Immediately Cipher's dark green eyes shot open and he stood up, "huh? Oh, sorry professor Port, I was too engrossed in the epicness of your amazing story." He lied.

"Well, of course you were! My exploits are legendary afterall. But sadly your presence is needed in headmaster Ozpin's office, so you won't be able to hear the rest."

At that moment the lady of the team turned her head slowly and whispered with a wide smile, "busted." The remaining three team members made to get up and follow their leader.

"I am happy to say however that the rest of team CRSS (Pronounced as Cross.) may stay for the rest of the lecture if they so choose."

Cipher turned to his teammates and smiled the most sadistic smile in the world. "Of course they can stay, I wouldn't want them falling behind in Grimm studies, I'll just get the notes from them when I'm done." The smile on his female teammate's face instantly fell. While the other two sat back down.

Cipher grabbed his katana sheathed in a custom saya, he left leaning against his chair and left the lecture theater. "What would Ozpin want with me?" He mumbled to himself as he made his way to the headmaster's office.

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><p>"Ohh I wonder what professor Ozpin has planned for us!" Ruby asked excitedly to her friends. "I hope he's sending us on an A-rank hunting mission. Maybe we'll get to fight some really tough enemies." She hopped around excitedly.<p>

"Calm down Ruby, I don't think we're going on any mission like that. Only 3rd and 4th year students get sent on A-rank missions." Pyrrha explained.

"Well maybe the headmaster has recognized our superior talent and is making an exception." Weiss argued.

The two teams, RWBY and JNPR had been called to headmaster Ozpin's office during their free period for reasons yet revealed. They were excited as anything that Ozpin himself personally sought them out for was going to be interesting. Reaching the waiting area they waited only a moment before the receptionist gestured to the door.

The 8 of them entered as quietly as they could except for Nora who practically charged right in. Standing next to Ozpin's desk was a young man slightly older than them with onyx black hair and dark green eyes focused on reading a dossier. Like the others he was wearing the academy standard uniform, the main difference being the katana by his side sheathed within a special gun-saya clamped onto an articulated robotic arm extending from his belt.

"Ah, yes, I'm glad you could all make it." Ozpin greeted the two teams and turned to the green eyed man. "Well?"

"Judging by their accomplishments I'd agree they aren't your run of the mill first years. But so much wasted potential and in all the wrong places." He closed the file and placed it back on the table before crossing his arms. "I'd hate to be the one to squander such an opportunity for this school."

"I choose you because you're the most talented in your year…"

"Not much competition going on in my year." Cipher cut the headmaster off

"True, but these children need the guidance of one who came before."

"Wouldn't that mean a 4th year has more qualification than me?"

"I have faith that you would be able to bond with these children better than any 4th year."

After a short but tense pause Cipher surrendered and nodded.

"Well then, team RWBY, team JNPR, meet Cipher Vanheist. He is a 3rd year student at this academy and is one of our most talented." An assortment of 'hi's and 'hello's came his way to which he responded with a nod of his head. "From today onwards the 8 of you will be involved in a mentor-mentee program."

"So you're giving us a babysitter?" Yang asked sarcastically.

"More like an annoying but totally badass big brother." Cipher joked.

"Professor Ozpin, aren't mentor-mentee programs reserved for 4th and 2nd years?" Pyrrha inquired.

"That is true, under normal circumstances this is reserved for students of said years. But you all do not fit into normal circumstances. The 9 of you have one thing in common, talent. I believe that one who has honed this talent can be a very effective catalyst to hone your own."

"Sharpening a blade by clashing it with another, your methods are as unorthodox as usual professor." Cipher sighed.

"Do you trust me?"

A short pause, "with my life."

"Excellent, then you will be taking them with you on your next mission on Monday." The headmaster stated.

"And my team?"

"They will be reassigned. As for the intel you share with RWBY and JNPR. It will be strictly on a need to know basis."

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><p>The group of 9 reached the dining hall and sat together with each team on one side. Cipher remained standing and took out his scroll.<p>

"Why don't you sit down?" Ruby offered.

"I'll sit as soon as I confirm that my teammates didn't leave my stuff in Mr. Port's class." He explained. Holding the device up to his ear. "Hey jack-off! You didn't leave my stuff in class did ya?" He yelled angrily. "Thank goodness." He sighed in relief. "SHE WHAT!?" He yelled again. "Oh, when I get my hands on that vixen I'm gonna…"

"Rough day?" Nora chimed in her usual bubbly attitude.

"Something about a vixen, girl troubles?" Yang teased.

"That witch is the farthest thing in the world from a girl. She's a nightmare." Cipher sighed in defeat. "Anyway, I know your names but not who has which."

"Oh, I'm Yang and this is my little sister, Ruby!" The fiery blond announced loudly, gesturing to herself and her younger sister with red tinted black hair.

"I am Weiss Schnee, heiress of the Schnee Dust Company." The snow haired princess stated with her head held high.

"Blake." Was the only word spoken my the black haired girl with the ribbon.

Cipher turned to the remaining 4 and looked at Jaune.

"Huh? Oh, uhm, my name is Jane Arc… I mean Jaune Arc, but you can call me that if you want." The blond boy sputtered nervously due to pressure.

"I'm Lie Ren." The magenta streaked boy responded quickly.

"NORA!" The bubbly girl shouted.

"Hello, I'm Pyrrha Nikos." The red haired spartan woman finished.

"Uhuh, well, since we're going to be working together next Monday we'd better start off on a good note." Cipher cleared his throat, "My name is Cipher Vanheist…" he paused for a little too long as he sat down.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asked.

"I wanted to say something funny but couldn't think of anything." He explained, leading to a few chuckles and giggles here and there.

"Our first mission together is on Monday, so enjoy your weekend and meet me at the airship docks on Monday afternoon." Cipher ordered. "Now, let me have a few moments of peace."

'What?'s and 'huh?'s were shared and Cipher raised his hand to silence them, he proceeded to close his eyes and simply sat there in the silence. The two teams remained utterly quiet, waiting for him to say something. Nora, the hyperactive one was physically incapable of prolonged silence unless she was busy. Ruby had started shifting around her seat too but for a different reason.

He sighed in defeat, "can't I ever end up with people that appreciate silence?" He asked himself. "What is it?" He asked them

"I'm hungry!" Nora cried out.

"Then go eat, no one's stopping you." Cipher stated tiredly. At his approval Nora quickly dashed off to get dinner. Ren also sighed and left with her. Ruby however was still shifting around in her seat.

"And what's wrong with you?"

"What does your sword transform into?" She beamed.

"Uhh…"

The dark-red haired girl inched closer in curiosity, eyes practically sparkling. He turned to the others.

"Ruby's sorta a weapons nut." Yang explained.

Cipher nodded in understanding. "Weapons are like an extension of the people that use them." Ruby said, still sparkling at the eyes waited patiently for his answer.

"Raika doesn't transform into anything, she's just one sword." Cipher explained holding up the katana which had a hexagonal hand guard made of a greyish metal and black and red hilt wrapping

"Oh so it's a classic!" She squealed excitedly. "Let me see, let me see." She begged.

Cipher immediately frowned and shook his head in a no. "I just wanted to see it." the girl with red tinted hair began to pout.

"Ok, ok." He caved after a short few seconds. "You can only inspect the saya." He bargained as he unclasped the sword and sheath from the robotic arm.

Ruby inspected the whole weapon set with deep interest. "The whole setup is simply a firing mechanism built around the mouth of the steel saya complete with hand rail, trigger and 20 round polymer magazine behind the hand grip. When the trigger is pulled the bullet fires and catches onto the reinforced hand guard which draws the whole sword. And I can rotate the whole saya 180 degrees so The cutting edge can point up or down depending on how I need to draw.." Cipher explained enthusiastically despite his initial disapproval, pointing out each part of the system. "All powered by handmade dust bullets." He continued, pulling out the magazine and showing her the rounds fitted with crystal bullets.

"Well someone's enthusiastic." Yang teased. Cipher froze instantly before letting out a nervous laugh and rubbing the back of his neck.

"When it comes down to Raika I guess I do get excited. You must trust your weapon above all else, because your weapon will never betray you, and if you treat them right, they will never fail you. The same cannot be said of people." He stated casually.

"That's a dark and roundabout way of seeing things." Blake pointed out. Cipher merely shrugged.

"But katanas are quite popular, every year, out of 40 students you see maybe 10 sometimes 20 katana users." Ruby said changing the subject.

"No… in every class of 40 you see 10-20 people who think they are katana users." Cipher exclaimed in an angry tone.

"And what's with the sudden mood swing." Weiss finally joined in even though she was still filing her nails.

An annoyed groan escaped Cipher, "Nowadays everyone makes their own weapons." Everyone nodded in understanding. "And of course that means that…" he spoke venomously as he eyed another katana user walk by. "I end up getting grouped together with dozens of morons who use katanas in name and shape only."

"I don't see your point." Jaune stated as Nora and Ren returned with many, many plates of food.

"When I say Katana, what comes to mind?"

"Two handed, single edged, long sword with a subtle curve?" Nora answered quickly.

Letting out another sigh of exasperation. "Katanas are more than just curved pieces of steel. They are an artistic balance of graceful precision, devastating cutting power, and, and… it just gets me so angry when people say they are katana users but didn't even put any hard work into forging a true one." He exclaimed.

"Our little Blakey here is a katana user too you know?" Yang asserted.

"How long did you take to make it?" Cipher asked grumpily.

"About a week." Blake answered.

"How much did it cost you?"

"900 lien."

"Who was your sword-smithing teacher?"

"I'm sorry what?" Blake questioned back.

"The sword-smith who trained you in the art of sword making." He extended.

"I… didn't have one."

"Exactly… I had to take on a 3 year apprenticeship with a traditional sword-smith before I could forge a true katana. 6 months before I finished Raika. And it cost me about 8000 lien to get the materials by the way. But then again an exceptionally forged katana could sell to art enthusiasts for about 240 grand." Cipher ranted.

"Sounds to me like you're just mad at others because they didn't go through the hard work you did." Ren proclaimed.

Cipher took one deep breath and sighed, "You're right. It's just so infuriating when people prance around without going through the right steps. I trained with one of the strongest sword masters in remnant and forged my own sword under one of the greatest sword smiths. And what do I get in return? I get lumped together with morons who don't even know proper kenjutsu." He groaned as he face planted on the table in frustration.

"Are you happy that you took the hard road?" Ruby enquired.

"Beg your pardon?"

"Well, in the end what matters is whether or not you are satisfied with your choice. You already walked down the harder road, so why cry about it now?"

Cipher took a moment to process her words of wisdom, "yeah, I guess you're right. No matter what I would never exchange Raika, and my hard work has made me a cut above the rest… I can see why Ozpin chose you as a team leader now."

"Ohh my baby sister just makes me so proud." Yang shouted as she pulled Ruby into a bear hug leading to a cartoonish dust cloud of fighting sisters.

"Oh, and Blake, sorry about what I said." Cipher apologized.

"It's fine." She smiled slightly.

"Ho Phipher, queres ke rust ohh yoh peem?" Nora babbled with a mouth full of food.

"Huh?"

"She's asking about your team." Ren repeated for her.

"Ohh, uhm, my teammates are all busy right now. Two of them have gone back home for the weekend and the last one is… I actually have no clue."

"Wow, what a team leader." Yang teased.

"Ok then, I shall use my godlike powers to summon him!" Cipher sarcastically shouted. "I command you! APPEAR!" He shouted while pointing at the entrance to the hall. Minutes passed as nothing happened. Leading to suppressed laughter among the group. "Strange, this normally works."

"Cero!" A deep voice in a foreign accent yelled from behind Cipher.

"Whosawhatnow!?" The man in question jumped in shock.

"Relax mi amigo, it's just me." The tall, tanned man soothed.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack Rios." Cipher muttered as he clutched his chest.

"I didn't know you had a heart?"

"Haha, how hilarious."

The taller man gave out a hearty laugh and turned to the two teams at the table. "Ohh, looks like you snagged yourself some sexy señoritas."

"Woah, slow down there ladiesman217 and put on your broken glasses, They're first years."

Rios' jaw dropped together with his expectations. "One more year, one more year." He mumbled to himself. The others looked to Cipher for an explanation.

"Oh, right… everyone, this is my partner and team member, Rios Hierro." Cipher introduced with a monotone voice. Another wave of 'hi's and 'hello's were shared.

"Rios, these are my mentees for as long as Ozpin wants them to be. Teams RWBY and JNPR."

"RWBY and JNPR!? The freshmen who started that impresionante food fight we missed 2 weeks ago!?" He gasped.

Heaving another sigh, Cipher continued. "Yes… the one we missed because Sylvia was busy playing hide and seek with the kids from the town we were sent to protect."

Yang, Nora and Ruby were smiling to themselves at Rios' compliment, while the others facepalmed in shame. "Well, Cero, I'm glad you're finally in the mood to get yourself a…" Rios paused and eyed each girl, "…few girlfriends… even if they are jailbait."

"Don't you have a date to get to?" Cipher groaned and changed subjects.

"Ah si, mí amorcito is waiting for me." Rios sang in a love struck voice.

"Ugh, I'll be sleeping in the library tonight then." Cipher scoffed.

Rios remembered what he had come here to do. "Cero, mi amigo, Sylvia asked me to pass you a message… 'what is the square root of potato'." Confused faces were shared among the two teams but Cipher instantly paled, which didn't mean much due to his skin tone.

"That little witch!" He shouted in anger.

"Nos vemos mi amigo!" Rios yelled as he walked away. Quite a few girls sitting at other tables were staring at him longingly to which he gave them a charming wink. Leading to a wave of fainting ladies and fan girl squeals to wash over the dining hall.

"Your buddy's kinda hot." Yang purred.

Cipher rubbed his temples in and groaned in frustration. "Just give me your scroll IDs. I need to get going… where did that witch get enough mash potatoes to fill a damn locker?" He ordered before asking himself the second part.

"Yikes, sounds like you've planned yourself a smashing weekend. am I right? Anybody?" Yang joked with her signature puns only to receive the silence of her friends.

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><p><strong>First chapter done. Thanks for getting this far. Whether or not I continue this depends on how many people like it so please leave a review. Whether it's a full on critique or just a simple, "good job!" I'll happily accept them. Reviews that tell me I suck but don't give a valid reason will be ignored.<br>**

**Explanation time: Cipher means Zero, and Rios is the Remnant equivalent of a Spanish person. Cero is the Spanish word for Zero hence the nickname.**

**You are free to ask questions, submit OC(s) or ideas of your own, heroes, villains and anything in between.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N- Season 2 episode 8 just came out… the whole shadowing huntsman thing really caught me off guard as true serendipity. As for the one review I received, I appreciate your support. And for the first follower of this story, thank you too.**

**It's official… my first year team following a senior idea now belongs to Monty, but I'll continue to write as long as there is a sliver of hope.**

**Anywho, RWBY belongs to Monty/Ren and all inspiration used belongs to their original owners.**

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><p>The ever eccentric Dr. Oobleck zipped around the front of his students giving another high octane lecture of the historical wars past. "But it was through the captains quick thinking that they were able to seal the beast within the mine. An act which would save the lives of many, many innocent people from the village nearby. Any questions students?"<p>

The two teams RWBY and JNPR were not paying attention however. They were busy waiting for the clock to strike 4 and classes would end. After class they would have an hour to prepare and meet Cipher at the airship docks.

"Ohh, this is gonna be so much fun!" Ruby whispered to her team.

'Remember Ruby we aren't going to play, we're going on a mission so act serious you dunce." Weiss reprimanded.

"I wonder what kinda mission it is." Jaune asked, joining in on the conversation.

"The details are on a need to know basis, so we won't know until we need to." Weiss reminded them.

As the clock turned 4 Dr. Oobleck wrapped up his lecture and bid his students farewell but cut off the two teams as they made to leave. "Before you go students, one piece of advice."

They all eyed him with confusion. "Ozpin only sends Cipher out on suicide missions. Whatever it is that you have been sent to do with him, do not, under any circumstance try to play hero. If he tells you to run, you run. If he tells you to hide, you hide. If he tells you to abandon him and retreat, do not hesitate to leave Cipher for dead. Or you all will be the ones coming home in body-bags."

"Are you saying we're weak?" Yang questioned aggressively.

"If you assume that power means everything, then Yes, you are."

"If I recall, the guy's only in third year, what makes him so special? Is he like ultra powerful or something?" Jaune nervously asked.

"No, no, I assure you that Mr. Vanheist is as human as you or I. But he is special in a way." The 8 friends glanced at each other before looking back to the green haired professor. "The man can read the tide of battle. He is only as strong as third years get, but he knows when to cut and run and when to stand and strike, which has allowed him to survive longer than others."

"Alright we get it already teach. Can we get going now?" Yang grunted impatiently.

"Yes, very well, get going then and have a safe trip. Oh and…" they turned back to Oobleck one last time. "Don't repeat history."

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><p>As the two teams assembled at the air docks. They found the senior student sitting on one of the many benches. Cipher's attire consisted of a long coat over a chest-plate over a buttoned up long-sleeve shirt, cargo pants, fingerless segmented gauntlets reaching his elbows and knee height greaves. All of which were grey with maroon accents that matched his katana by his side.<p>

"What's with the whole dark knight getup?" Yang questioned skeptically.

"Hmm… how do I spout nonsense at you in a way that it sounds reasonably logical enough to believe… my name is Cipher, which either means a secret code or the number zero. Both of which are very dull and grey things." He explained monotone.

An awkward silence set in for a while before Jaune broke it. "Well, if he didn't say the spouting nonsense part, I would have believed him."

"Thank you for the support Jaune. And Yang, would you prefer me dressed like a bat or me prancing about in a skintight blue leotard with red undies worn on the outside?" Cipher asked sarcastically.

"That would depend on how good you look in a blue leotard." She countered.

"Fair enough…" he mumbled while taking out his scroll. A personal locker landed near by and he walked over. Opening it up, he dug through for a while before pulling out a blue leotard and a pair of red briefs.

Cipher was about to take off his coat when everyone collectively shouted. "WE PREFER THE MANBAT THEME!" Cipher smiled slightly sadistically at their reaction.

"Aww but I really thought you would like the whole steel man getup." He joked.

"Don't you dare wear such a reputation staining outfit while escorting me you dimwit." Weiss hissed.

"I think that grey and red looks better." Ruby begged.

"Please don't." Blake muttered tiredly.

"Aww, but I wanna see it!" Nora whined loudly.

"Well, team RWBY doesn't want me to wear it, then how about someone else? I can't pick Jaune because he helped me out. So how about Ren?" Cipher suggested.

"That's an awesome idea!" Nora cheered. "Ren! Hey Ren!… Ren!?" She looked around and found no sight or sound of her magenta eyed childhood friend.

Ren was hiding in a bush nearby. Having predicted where Nora would bring the conversation he quickly slipped away. "No way am I ever wearing that." He whispered to himself.

"Blake, mind telling us where he is?" Cipher requested.

"How do I do that?" She bounced back in her usual cool tone.

"Uhm, shouldn't we be getting back to our mission?" Phyrra stated.

Cipher sighed and pushed the ridiculous outfit back into the locker. "Alright enough games then. Ren you can come out now." The green clad man stood up from the bush just in time for Nora's excitement to deflate.

"Ok everyone, get on the hawk. I'll brief you on the way." He ordered, pointing at a dropship with Beacon academy's symbol painted on one side.

The two teams shuffled aboard and took their seats. Cipher got on just as the dropship began takeoff and the door closed.

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><p>Glynda Goodwitch watched as the dropship carrying teams RWBY and JNPR took off on their mission with Cipher.<p>

"I see the dropship has left for the mission I ordered. Now will you tell me who you sent?" Ironwood enquired loudly.

"I sent two teams of first years and a third year to look after them." The grey haired headmaster answered before asking a sip from his mug.

"I thought I specifically asked for your finest fourth year team!? They'll be killed at this rate, Oz!"

"Ozpin… as much as I hate agreeing to this warlord's terms, I also think that they are not ready for this." Glynda stated.

"I sent Cipher with them."

"Cipher? As in General Vanheist's son?" Ironwood questioned.

"Yes, I entrusted this task to the one I know I can trust."

"Well, if you sent the mercenary with no will then it's fine." The general stated calmly before making his way to the door.

"Ozpin can we really leave this up to them? You said it yourself, they're just children. What happened to letting them play the part?"

"Cipher will be the only one taking part in Ironwood's mission. The rest were sent on one that corresponds with the same region. I have also specifically instructed him not to disclose his true purpose there."

"But will they be alright?"

"They are students of Beacon, Glynda, they will be fine."

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><p>"Ok everyone. We're going on an extermination mission. A village on the northeast from Vale has reported attacks from Beowolf packs."<p>

"Do we know how many there are?" Pyrrha asked.

"Sadly these people neglected to tell us that but reports claim a minimum of 5 alphas. Which means we use the age old technique of estimation…" everyone leaned in to hear this old technique. "Make a big guess, and expect more." They collapsed back into their chairs in disappointment.

"That was anticlimactic. For a moment, I really thought you were gonna say something cool." Jaune whined and tried to hold in his stomach contents at the same time.

"You want me to say something cool? Ok. Our mission is only a B-rank mission, the reason being we are only informed of the presence of category I and category II Grimm." They leaned back in to hear his explanation.

"But there have been reports of a category IV Grimm roaming the mountains around the village." Nora instantly shot her hand up.

"Yes, Nora."

"What's a category I?"

Another silence as the two teams stared at him puzzled while he returned the baffled look. "Don't you learn anything in class?"

"I believe that professor Oobleck was giving a lecture about it this afternoon but we did not pay enough attention." Weiss clarified with a look of shame.

With a heavy sigh Cipher began explaining. "We as intelligent beings love to classify things. Separating one thing from another by their minor differences. Everything from animals to people to… to whatever thing starts with Z, can be classified. Grimm are no exceptions."

Nods of understanding told him to continue. "Category Is or cat 1s for short, consist of the weakest Grimm. Like the boarbatusks, ursa and beowolves."

More nods of understanding. "Category IIs or cat 2s consist of ursa majors, alpha beowolves and heteropoda maximas."

'Ohh's and 'ahh's were shared. "Cat 3s consist of death stalkers, nevermores and king taijitus."

"And the most dangerous…" he said in almost a whisper. Prompting the 8 of them to lean in, "the cat IVs are the most vicious and bloodthirsty group. Beast of such unfathomable power that they were the stuff of legends. If there had been more of these monsters during the first crusade, humanity would have been wiped out in an instant… they were the FengHuang, the Nidhoggr and the Leonemaeus."

"Were?" Ren pointed out.

"Oh, right. Keyword in this little lecture is 'were'. In order to make sure humanity's survival was secure, our ancestors hunted them into extinction. The last reported instance of a cat IV, which happened to be a Leonemaeus, was in a dust mine a few miles north of the village we're going to. They blew up the whole mine to seal the thing inside, but that was decades ago."

"Wait a minute." Ruby interjected. "Didn't you say they saw one prowling the mountains!?"

"Haha, well there have been rumors. But there's hardly any evidence to prove it."

"Why's that?"

"If there was a cat IV nearby, the whole village would be dead." He explained with a creepily casual tone.

"Are they that strong?" Jaune asked before his gag reflex got the better of him.

"It would take 4-5 teams of veteran huntsman to take down one cat IV, even then there would be heavy casualties, very heavy casualties."

Jaune gulped which made the others cringe in disgust.

"Well, get some rest. We'll be there in another hour or so."

"Another hour!?" Jaune wailed before his mouth filled with stomach acid.

The others got as far away from him as they could except for Pyrrha who was comforting him by rubbing his back.

"This will be a very uncomfortable hour." Cipher noted as he put his earpieces on and turned up the volume, drowning out the sounds of puking.

* * *

><p>When the dropship landed at the edge of the village, everyone except Cipher and Pyrrha ran out and fell to their knees in relief. "Fresh air! Sweet, sweet, vomit free air!" Weiss shouted with joy.<p>

Jaune was kissing the ground before spitting out some dirt and sand. Cipher himself felt a little sick but caught to keep his composure. Turning to the spartan woman next to him, "how are you still fine?" Pyrrha gave him a smile before heading over to Jaune.

After making their way to the village head's house, Cipher turned to the two teams. "Ok, you all can go look for an inn, get three rooms for three people each. I'll call you guys and girls when I'm done discussing the details with the village head." They nodded in understanding and set off just as a frail old man walked up to Cipher.

"I've never really been to villages outside the kingdom like this." Weiss commented.

"Really? Now that I think about it, that's probably normal for an heiress." Ruby mused.

"I actually grew up in a village like this." Blake disclosed.

"Wow, what was it like?" Yang enquired.

"It wasn't easy considering my…" she pointed to her bow. "Heritage. But I had a friend back then that made life easier."

"Ohh, boyfriend?" Yang teased.

"N-no! Nothing like that!" Blake stuttered with a slight blush.

"You realize I'm gonna tease you about it forever right?" Yang's comment was returned with a groan of annoyance.

"Hey guys, it looks like we're here." Jaune pointed to a building with a sign that wrote, 'Inn'.

"Come on, let's go 'inn'side." Yang punned, to be met with cricket noises and a tumble weed rolling across the street.

Inside the inn, they were met with lots of people sitting at the many tables, drinking and cheering. One man in particular who had his hair spiked up comically high was gloating about how he killed 3 more beowolves. While the others cheered and toasted to his success.

Ren had to struggle with all his might to keep Nora from dashing over and sharing war stories of her own. They reached the counter where a beautiful young woman about the same age as they were was standing.

"Welcome to the defenders guild. What do you need tonight?" She asked with a warm and sweet smile.

Ruby was panicking on the spot, not sure how to answer the angel in front of her. "Uhh… we, uhm… could we… uh."

"What are you doing sis?" Yang whispered.

"Help me!" She whispered back.

"We would like to rest at your inn tonight, three rooms big enough for three people each please." Weiss requested in a polite yet stern manner.

"Of course, please give me a moment." The woman replied before checking her lodging availability. "Will three rooms of four be alright?"

"How will we be charged for the stay?"

"We charge by person. The extra bed will not be considered."

"Then it will suffice."

The woman took out three keys and handed them to Weiss. "Could I have your names?" She asked so she could complete the lodging records.

Jaune moved to he counter and leaned on it with one arm.

"Oh great. More of the wannabe ladiesman." Yang commented with a smirk.

"The names Jaune Arc, short, sweet and to the point. What's your's little angel?" He said in as suave a voice as possible.

She gave him a little laugh as she wrote down his name. "My name's Olivia."

Smiling at the fact that he wasn't shot down for once he decided to continue. "Soo, how'd a pretty girl like yourself end up working here?"

Another laugh, "this is my father's inn."

"Oh. Well he has a nice business and a nice daughter errr…" at this point Jaune had been lift up and thrown flat on his butt a little distance from the counter.

"What do you think you're doing hitting on my gal?" The guy with the ridiculous hair shouted.

"Cyan! What are you doing!?" Olivia shouted.

"Listen here ladies man! I'm sick and tired of guys trying to hit on my gal!" Cyan yelled at Jaune.

"Wait, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to!" Jaune begged.

"What, so the angel of this village is just a game to you huh!?"

Jaune shrunk away, trying his best to get away without drawing attention.

"Cyan, stop this immediately." Olivia begged.

"He's the one that started it!"

He didn't even have time to react when Nora grabbed Cyan by the shoulder. "Now we're gonna end it!"

* * *

><p>Cipher was having quite an uncomfortable conversation with the village head.<p>

"So you're telling me these people have been digging around the lion's grave?" He asked to reconfirm what he had heard.

"Yes, these men have been wandering around at night carrying explosives heading to the abandoned mine." The elderly man explained tiredly. "What's more sinister is that they've been using the Beowolf attacks as cover for their digging. We don't pay attention to the distant explosions when we're fighting for our lives."

"And how many beowolves attack at once?"

"Normally they attack in small numbers. Small enough for us to handle atleast. But few weeks ago they started attacking in larger and larger packs. We'd actually would never have noticed if that young man hadn't come during last week's attack."

"Young man?"

"Why yes. I believe his name was… uhm… it was… toeless."

"Toeless?"

"Wait, no, that's not it. It was… Tau…"

A man dashed into the living room where Cipher and the village head were conversing, "they're… fighting… at… inn!" The man muttered between deep, exhausted, breaths.

"The beowolves!?" The elder asked in shock.

"No! People! They just showed up and started fighting!" He explained as soon as he caught his breath.

"There wouldn't happen to be 8 of them would there?" Cipher asked, pretty much knowing where this was going.

"Yes."

Heaving another tired sigh the grey clad man gestured for the other two to lead the way.

* * *

><p>"Get back here! I'll break your legs!" Nora shouted as she batted another villager away with her hammer.<p>

The rest were caught up fighting against the other fighters that had been celebrating 10 minutes earlier. Many of them were drunk which gave teams RWBY and JNPR an advantage.

"This'll teach you to flirt with other people's gals!" Cyan yelled as he swung his axe down on Jaune who struggled to block the blow with his shield.

"I said I'm sorry, it'll never happen again." Jaune whined while trying his best not to get hit.

"Cyan please, stop this!" Olivia continued to plead.

"What's going on here?" A familiar voice rang.

"Cipher!" Ruby called out in relief.

"Cyan! What are you doing?" The village head scolded.

"This king of conquest here was hitting on Olivia."

"That doesn't give you a reason to start a fight! Olivia is a tough woman and can take care of herself!"

"But! But!"

"No buts young man!"

Cipher turned to his mentees and decided to get their side of the story. "What happened?"

"Our blond lover boy here was flirting on someone else's girlfriend." Pinching the bridge of his nose, Cipher heaved another sigh.

"You really sigh a lot." Ruby commented.

"You don't say… listen Jaune, we're only gonna be here for 3 days and nights. Why were you looking for a date?" Cipher asked.

"I thought she would shoot me down anyway so I gave it a shot." Cipher turned to Olivia and gave her one glance before shaking his head.

"Jaune, We're gonna be here for a while. Don't cause us trouble."

"Wait a minute!" Cyan yelled.

"Oh god… please just let this mess end." Cipher sobbed and facepalmed.

"What do you mean you'll be here for 3 days and nights!?"

"Oh, you didn't get the memo? We're here to take care of your Grimm problem."

"We don't need help from you people!" The horror haired man shouted.

"Then why'd you call us out here?"

"Enough! Cyan! We need their help!" The village head shouted.

"Grandpa, we don't need help from these people. We left the kingdoms to get away from them!" As the two began to argue, Yang was losing her cool.

"Would you two please just get this over with so I can get my beauty sleep!" She screamed, hair blazing and eyes red.

"You all can just leave." Cyan spat venomously.

"We would be happy to leave…" Cipher shot back in a sarcastically gentlemanly tone. "We've already received the pay anyway and of course the less work the better. But sadly we have to wait until tomorrow morning for the dropship to arrive."

"Why you bastard!"

"Well we can't just give you a refund, and we most certainly wouldn't want to intrude on such capable people." Cipher taunted sarcastically, gesturing to the bruised men on the ground, knocked down from the fight.

Cyan picked up his axe and transformed it into a greatsword. "I'll show you bastard!" He yelled as he charged.

Cipher easily dodged. "You need to learn more self control."

More wild swings were dodged effortlessly. "Honestly. A two year old could beat you if you fight like that."

"I'll make you eat those words!"

Cipher stopped the horror haired man's swing with his steel saya and quickly jabbed him in several parts of his body. Cyan froze in place.

"Your stance is totally wrong. Right foot forward, knees bent, arms up, mass low aaaannnnddd, swing." Cipher commanded slapping the other man in many places to put him into a proper stance.

"We don't need you!" Cyan shouted as he fell to the ground.

"Seriously, brat, this moment feels so cliché. Lets just get this over with so we can all sleep." Cyan quickly got up and charged Cipher. "Alright I'm too tired for this." Grabbing his katana, Cipher aimed the butt of his hilt at Cyan's forehead and pulled the trigger. Cyan was out cold before he hit the ground. Catching Raika in midair Cipher sheathed his sword and pushed it behind him.

He turned to the two teams, "did you get the rooms?"

"We were halfway done when all this happened." Ruby explained.

"Then lets hurry up, I really want to sleep." Cipher deadpanned.

* * *

><p>"Wow, that was cool!" Ruby exclaimed. "He was all like, you can't hit me. And he was all cool and calm and stuff. And then he was like BAM! Lights out!" She explained in detail as she acted out how Cipher handled the fight.<p>

"Sis, we were there." Yang stated with a smirk as her sister turned red. Nora was curled up in her bed and snoozing away.

"But he looked pretty cool the whole time. He even gave the guy a lecture on proper fighting stance, in the middle of a fight!"

"I guess his years of experience has put him too many steps ahead of his enemy. When you've been in enough fights, you tend to end up like that. When you think about it his enemy was pretty weak. I'm sure anyone could have taken him."

Weiss, Blake and Pyrrha had decided to take another room having readily agreed due to much needed rest and not needed noise the other three girls were probably ready to make.

And the three gentlemen took the last room.

"That was so cool!" Jaune exclaimed. "You were all like, you can't touch me and you did it all cool and stuff and then you went BANG! Lights out!"

"Jaune. I was there." Cipher moaned in exhausted despair as he lay in his bed.

"But you were just so cool! You even gave him a lecture on proper fighting stance, in the middle of the fight!"

"Many years of battle and much wisdom has allowed me to hone the sacred art of badass. Plus when you actually look at it, the guy was really weak. Anyone could have taken him."

Ren had a slightly confused look on his face. "Why do I get the feeling that the flow of destiny just got recycled?"

"You just need sleep Ren. Your true self is constantly sleep deprived. No surprise considering you have to deal with Nora all the time." Cipher mumbled before snoozing away.

* * *

><p>Late into the night Ruby woke up to the sound of a door closing. From the sound of it she knew it was the boy's room. After changing out of her pajamas, she quietly snuck out. When she exited the inn she saw Cipher wearing his full attire and he was walking briskly down the road. She followed him quietly ducking from cover to cover. He rounded a corner and entered an alleyway.<p>

"Honestly. This is your ingenious plan to snuff me out? Lead me into a dark alley and ambush me with a bunch of grunts? We just need to slap some orange on you and a green armored crazy man that talks to a blue woman in his head can pistol whip you all into the next ring world." Cipher monologued.

Upon closer inspection Ruby could see that many men clad in black leather armor began surrounding Cipher. She was about to jump in and help him when he drew his sword and started fighting. He parried some attacks and dodged others with grace. Slashing away with much finesse he quickly disposed of two to three of them. Sheathing his sword he back stepped and spun around, clubbing one grunt behind him with his steel saya before finishing off another grunt with a lightning fast iaido slash on the next spin.

Ruby could not believe her eyes as she watched his sword style executed without flaw. Soon enough the grunts retreated, taking their fallen with them. "Ruby, next time you tail someone, try to be less obvious about it." Cipher advised.

She stood up quickly and brushed herself off as he walked over to her. "Could you do me a favor and forget what you saw?" He pleaded.

"What was that!?" She ignored his plea.

Letting out a disappointed sigh, Cipher answered. "Ozpin will tell you in time, but for now, keep this a secret and go to bed, we have a big day ahead of us."

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, so chapter 2. I'll try to release these chapters before each episode of RWBY each week. The first review for this story asked whether this will be an OC x RWBY fic. I'm not sure yet, for now pairings will not really be chased unless the readers specifically want them.<strong>

**So, please leave a review to let me know whether or not you like this fic. Competition for the front page is fierce on this site and one can get displaced in half a day. Feel free to ask questions, leave suggestions, correct problems, present OCs or plot ideas of your own for this story to be integrated if thou desire.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- It would seem I have failed my own objective of updating once a week. Thank you so much for those who reviewed this story. And sorry to those that had to wait.**

**RWBY belongs to Monty/Ren and inspiration belongs to their respective owners.**

* * *

><p>The students of beacon were moving through the forest at the west side of the village with little trouble faced aside from the occasional Beowolf. Despite the clear fact that there would be danger at every turn, Cipher was the only one keeping an eye out but kept his hands in his pockets. Ruby was staring at Cipher with an unreasonable amount of concentration. The rest were in turn staring at Ruby, utterly confused.<p>

"Tell me!" Ruby demanded.

"No." Cipher answered monotone.

"Tell me!"

"No."

"Tell me! Tell me! Tell me!"

"Tell you what exactly?" He asked, eyebrow cocked in question.

"Tell me what happened last night!" She continued to demand.

"What happened last night?"

"Last night at the alleyway!"

"What alleyway?"

"The alleyway three blocks away from the inn, where you beat up those really weird guys!"

"I don't recall ever leaving my room let alone beating up anyone. Perhaps you were simply dreaming." Cipher deadpanned.

"What the! I was not dreaming!" Ruby cried in outrage.

"I had a really fun dream last night about a giant puppy!" Nora cried out in her usual cheery voice.

"Uhm, Nora… that was the innkeeper's guard dog from this morning." Ren pointed out.

A short silent pause later Cipher started walking again and the rest followed suit.

"Tell me!" Ruby demanded again.

"Tell you what?" Cipher groaned as he let out a long sigh.

"Uhm… it was the uhh, hmm…" Ruby mumbled as she tried to recall what information she had wanted to tear from him again.

A few more skirmishes with random low level Grimm later, they reached the foot of a small mountain.

"Alright, intel suggests that the Beowolf nest is in a cave in one side of this little mountain, so we're splintering from here. Team RWBY take the right side of the mountain, team JNPR take the left. I'll be scaling up the middle." Cipher ordered.

"You're going alone!?" Jaune exclaimed in shock.

"I'll be fine. This won't be the first time I've been alone in the wilderness." He scoffed as he started scaling the mountain.

* * *

><p>Team RWBY were circling the mountain as ordered. Ruby was balancing between trying to remember what she wanted Cipher to tell her and cutting down Grimm along her path.<p>

"Ruby, you seem a little distracted." Yang said with worry as she punched a hole into another Beowolf.

"I'm trying to remember what it was I wanted Cipher to tell me."

"Something about beating up a bunch of people in an alleyway right?" Weiss said trying to help.

Ruby's eyes shot open wide in realization. "That's it! I wanted to ask him about his fight last night!"

"What was that about anyway?" Yang asked.

"Last night. Cipher snuck out and started fighting with these really shady people." Ruby explained.

"Were they the white fang?" Blake asked, tensing up expecting the worst.

"No, I don't think they were wearing the white fang uniform." Ruby recalled.

"Than what were they? You think they have connections to Torchwick or those misguided bunch?" Weiss joined in.

"I'm not quite sure. But It seems that Cipher isn't telling us everything we need to know." Ruby explained.

"Then we'll just beat it out of him when we see him later." Yang said as she punched her palm as an aggressive gesture.

* * *

><p>Cipher had climbed for roughly half an hour and was beginning to regret his decision as to which side of the mountain to start. Roughly ten minutes ago it was still just a manageable angle but that changed when the angle shot straight up into a vertical cliff. In his precarious position he noticed a narrow pass hidden in plain sight, the colors of the rocks melded together well enough that no one would have noticed it. He climbed over as quickly as he could.<p>

Now free of the dread of falling he made his way through the pass as carefully as possible. After a few minutes he found his way into an open clearing with a settlement a little farther away.

"Now what do we have here?" Cipher asked out loud as he investigated the up turned soil. "Looks like somebody's been doing some agriculture. Soil looks freshly toiled."

Looking around he found huts full of fresh vegetables and even some fresh game meat. "Now isn't that just suspicious." He continued talking to himself sarcastically.

One quick spin he could see that the surroundings were walled off by the mountain. "That would explain how they managed so long without Grimm issues."

Taking the liberty to wander around a bit he was in deep thought. "Ahh, now there's the last piece of this puzzle. The bastards who live here." He said louder than before eyeing specific points in his surroundings.

Having their cover blown was the signal they needed to come out of hiding. Several men clad in black attire ranging from light leather armor to heavy plate armor. 4 of them were carrying swords and two carrying guns and the first thing that popped into Cipher's head was…

"I see, so you're the generic enemies I'm facing this time around."

The ones carrying swords shuffled around him carefully, the ones with guns hid behind cover.

"Hmm, generic but smarter than your average grunt." He commented.

By reflex he dodged the first slash and through a combination of reflex and focus he dodged the second. Two swords came his way from both sides, he jumped up, letting them clash. Cipher held Raika vertically with the pommel pointed upwards and pulled the trigger. Pulling the momentum of the blade down in a circular motion he slashed at one poor sap, knocking him out by leaving a sliver of aura intact. Using the chance he thrust his blade at his surprised enemy and took out another.

"Guess you two were the grunts or I took you by surprise." Cipher chuckled in amusement.

The remaining two sized him up before looking at each other and nodding in affirmation. One charged first and slashed. Cipher parried the blow but barely managed to pull his head back far enough to keep from getting his face skewered by the second.

"Very smart, give your enemy little chance to counter." He commented.

The enemy twisted his sword so the edge now faced Cipher and pulled to make a slash, forcing him to cartwheel back in order to dodge. He winced as a cut formed on his cheek but had little time to ponder it as the two swordsman charged him again. They slashed in turn with little delay between their attacks, making it very hard for Cipher to dodge and weave.

He spun his way between the two and using the short pause to take note of the extra cuts now riddling his body. He jumped to avoid a sweeping kick but was now wide open to the second swordsman's slash. Blocking the blow with Raika he was thrown back a small distance.

"That hurt, you bastards, come on! Come get some!" He shouted but the two backed off. Cipher barely registered the reason as a bullet whizzed by the cut in his cheek. He deflected as many rounds as he could with his blade but felt a few rounds smash into his body, thankfully his aura kept things getting too serious.

The bulletstorm stopped only for the swordsman, now joined by their now awake but still dizzy buddies and charged again. Parrying, dodging and keeping track of six enemies was difficult enough as it was, but the fact they knew how to work together made things harder.

Cipher began growing desperate under the pressure. "Alright I guess I'll have to play dirty." He mumbled to himself. Sheathing his katana he back stepped, making sure to keep the swordsman between him and the gunmen. One of the grunts took the bait and dashed at him. Cipher took an iaido stance and pulled the trigger on his gun-saya. Using Raika's pommel he hit the grunt hard on the face. In one swift circular motion he held the edge of his blade against the grunts troat.

"Drop your weapons or his head comes off!" Cipher ordered. The two elites looked at each other before looking back at him. "Didn't you hear me!? I said drop your weap…" he couldn't even finish his sentence before the swordsman dashed at him at high speed, plunging his sword into the poor grunt while trying to get to Cipher who had barely dodged.

"You'd kill your own just to get rid of your enemy!?" Cipher shouted in anger at what he just witnessed.

The swordsman laughed maniacally, "did you really think he wouldn't get hurt when you set him up as a human shield?" The man pointed out sarcastically.

"He was your ally!"

"He understood full well what was going to happen. We don't like loose strings. You get caught you get killed, nuff said."

Cipher tightened his grip on Raika, "you dirty rats would really just cast someone aside just because he got himself caught!?" He seethed.

"If we let these troublesome people live, then we would have been taken down years ago."

Cipher felt his own patience snap. His movements were now more fluid as he stood up, never tearing his gaze from the elite. His gaze however turned from rage to pity. The change startled the merciless swordsman.

"I suppose it was expected of groups such as yours. I don't even remember what I was expecting from you criminals anymore."

"What? You think you're all high and mighty now? I heard of you before, Cipher Vanheist."

"How do you know my name?" Cipher asked with a dead panned expression.

"What? Did you think your reputation wouldn't precede you if you didn't leave survivors? Everyone here knows about the arrogant samurai with a 24 million bounty on his head in Headhunter Grave's blacklist. You've got the whole criminal underworld riled up about you with your recent antics the past few years." He ranted.

Cipher narrowed his eyes and kept a firm grip on Raika. 'If he knows this much then he's not some wannabe lowlife. These guys are professionals if they know about Grave's blacklist.' Cipher thought to himself.

Using his thumb Cipher wiped some blood off the cut on his cheek and smeared it along the length of his blade. His enemies exchanged looks of confusion when they saw him sheathe his sword and pulling back on the cocking handle of his gun-saya to check if a round was loaded, letting the sound reach their ears.

"I love that sound, the sound of a gun cocking. It makes everything more dramatic. It give you a reason to stay alert, it puts the fear of god in you and most of all… it tells you that somebody's gonna die." Everyone felt an adrenaline rush start when a glowing red haze began emanating from his body, specifically from his wounds.

"What? No more chit-chat?" The elite managed to force out in an unintimidated voice as he wasn't really afraid, but simply that all his senses were on high alert.

"What's the point in arguing Philosophy with terrorists."

Taking up and iaido stance, Cipher's semblance started forming a dense cyclone ball at the cocking handle which in turn sucked in more of his semblance. The ball of fury pulsed aggressively a few times before being completely absorbed by the cocking handle.

The elite felt a strong and sudden burst of wind blow past him, he only managed to register the pain in his chest after he was blown back by the aftershock of the fast strike. Placing a hand on his wound and craning his neck backwards he saw that the grunt and the other elite had been smashed against the opposite walls of two huts, with long, deep cuts across their chests.

Not wasting another moment, Cipher aimed the tip of his katana at one of the two gunmen and dashed at high speed. The gunman tried to block with his firearm but Raika pierced straight through and impaled him, cutting straight through his aura.

"Don't move." The second gunman warned as he pointed his gun at Cipher's head.

"You really didn't think this through did you?" Cipher asked as he yanked his katana and giving it a strong swing to remove the blood before sheathing.

"A bullet is faster than a sword."

"Which is exactly why I use a gun-saya, to solve that little problem."

The two stood still as they waited for each other to make a move. The tension got thicker with every passing second. The gunman decided he had enough and squeezed the trigger, but something wrapped around his neck and yanked him upwards before the round fired.

"I was wondering when you'd show up." Cipher declared loudly as he looked at the man standing on the roof of a hut. The gunman was now struggling against the cable wrapped around his throat before finally giving in. The man wore full body leather armor complete with hood and mask with silver patterns spreading out from a symbol of the moon on his chest. His most defining part of his attire were the steel gauntlets he wore. The cable was anchored to the back of his left hand and with a twist of his wrist the yoyo wrapped around the gunman's neck came undone and he retrieved it with a pull. He rhythmically playing with a second yoyo that looked pretty much normal in his right hand.

"Aren't you a little young to have a 24 million lien bounty?" The stranger asked.

"Aren't you a little old to be playing with yoyos?" Cipher sassed back.

"Touché brat, touché. My name is Mars by the way." He said, as he walked over. He inspected Cipher's current condition and shook his head in disappointment. "Typical, sending inexperienced brats to the front line. You can't even get into a fight without getting hurt."

"Well, sorry if I disappoint, not killing everyone turned out harder than I expected." Cipher retorted without even the slightest hint of sarcasm.

Mars gave him a stunned look before moving on to the task at hand. "You the only one they sent?"

"Pretty much."

"Damn, they expect us to destroy a terrorist base alone huh? Typical HQ bullcrap."

"You've been undercover for months I hope you have a demolition plan." Cipher deadpanned.

"Oh yeah, I got some big fireworks planned for us today. Come on, I'll brief you while we get in. You know about my semblance right?" Mars asked.

"I read your dossier, you can forge psychic links." Cipher summarized from the 4 page long essay he had to read on Mars' semblance.

"Then let's get going then."

"What about him?" Cipher asked, looking at the wounded elite glaring daggers at him.

A yoyo whizzed towards him at high speed and a sickening crack echoed around. "What about him?" Mars asked coldly as he pulled to retrieved his yoyo.

"Uhh… lead the way." Cipher quickly changed subjects.

* * *

><p>Ruby and gang were still making their way around the small mountain. Making sure to eliminate any Grimm in their path.<p>

"We've been at this for hours! How much longer do we have to do this!?" Yang whined.

"We have to make sure that we eliminate all Grimm in our way, otherwise the townsfolk are going to suffer." Blake explained in her usual cool tone.

"But we've only been fighting nothing but stray beowolves for hours! At most we've faced was a pack!" She continued to vent.

Weiss pushed her way past the fiery blond, "Quit your whining, as soon as we reach the nest we'll have all the excitement you could handle. That is to say, if we handle it."

"You know what I really wanna fight? A cat IV Grimm. Cipher said there was one here right?"

"Yang, Cipher said that cat IVs are beyond our level. We probably shouldn't push our luck if we find one." Ruby warned.

"Ohh, comeon Ruby! Imagine the fame we could net ourselves for that kind of achievement." Yang dashed over to Ruby and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, "just imagine, news headlines, countless fans swarming after us looking for autographs and not to mention we'll have one hell of a war story to tell."

Ruby's eyes sparkled adorably in reaction to her sister's suggestions. "Ok, team as soon as we finish our Grimm hunting we'll look for that cat IV and bring it down." She declared both Weiss and Blake facepalmed at the recklessness of their partners.

The team paused when they heard an explosion in the distance. "What was that?" The leader asked.

"That was someone fighting." Weiss pointed out.

"You think it's Jaune and the others?" Yang asked. As if on cue the sound of Nora's joyful laughter echoed through the woods. "Yup, it's them."

"Come on!" Ruby ordered as they made their way to the sounds of mayhem.

* * *

><p>Nora brought her hammer down on another Beowolf and pulled the trigger sending two more flying back, using the momentum of her hammer she crushed another Beowolf behind her. "Hahahaha, this is fun. Ren! Aren't you having fun?" She cheered.<p>

Ren was struggling to keep up with his ever active friend but still holding his own. Jaune and Pyrrha were fighting back to back and holding their ground with their shields.

"I don't think we can keep this up." Jaune said nervously.

"Don't panic Jaune, as long as you keep a cool head, everything's gonna be alright." Pyrrha assured him but was stunned when she no longer felt his presence behind her. Quickly turning around she barely blocked a strike from an alpha beowolf.

Jaune was seeing stars after being smacked aside and slamming into a tree. Recovering just in time to shield himself from another beowolf. Unable to stabilize his footing, the Grimm slowly pushed the shield aside and inched it's head closer to bite him.

The beowolf's head was blown away as Ruby's sniper round hit its mark. "You alright Jaune?" Ruby shouted.

"Yeah, I'm just peachy." Jaune mumbled as he slumped back against the tree.

The two teams regrouped around Jaune to quickly come up with a plan. "Anyone got a plan?" Yang asked.

"We fight!" Ruby declared.

"Yeah, and what's the plan?" Weiss enquired.

"Charge!"

Ruby made a mad dash at the horde of Grimm followed by everyone else after a short pause to actually register what had happened. Using the recoil of her scythe she sliced apart three beowolves and fired again, punching straight through two more with the high powered round. Shooting and cutting down whatever they could reach, the two teams went deeper and deeper into the cave.

Weiss trapped two wolves in ice, allowing Blake to decapitate one and Ren to gun down the other. Nora then proceeded to bat the bodies into a group charging at them, stalling them long enough for Yang to send out a flaming shockwave. Jaune and Pyrrha used their shields block an alpha and a regular beowolf then switching to slice off the heads of the other.

"We're doing great everyone!" Ruby cheered.

"Hey, I wonder where Cipher is, he's missing all the fun!" Nora shouted with equal enthusiasm.

Changing Magnhild into grenade launcher form, she fired at an alpha that was lunging at her but the beast was pushed to the side by one of Ruby's sniper rounds. With no target, the grenade struck the ceiling with a pink boom.

"Uh oh…" Nora squeaked.

Sounds of cracking and rock shifting could be heard and what few Grimm that remained made a mad dash to escape. Seconds later the noise stopped and Everyone let out a breath of relief.

Suddenly a small section of the roof collapsed and landed a a hair's width away from the group.

"Argh! Dammit Mars! I thought the plan was to get out then set the bombs off!" A familiar voice yelled.

"That wasn't me, someone must have set off a grenade or something!" The second voice known as Mars shouted back.

Cipher crawled out of the rubble and brushed the dust out of his hair. Losing his footing he rolled back and landed flat on his back. Opening his eyes he was confused to see what could only be described as, "baby blue snowflakes." He said outloud.

He barely managed to dodge as a rapier was stabbed right where his head was but a sudden burst of ice smacked him against the wall. Refocusing he could see Weiss was holding down her skirt and her face was bright red as was everyone else except Yang and Ren.

The sound of a whistle reached his ears and Cipher just managed to catch Mars say. "You sneaky bastard, using the chance to take a peek at a lady's panties is a no-no while on mission."

Cipher moved his head a few inches to the right in order to dodge Myrtenaster. "You speak of this to no one." Weiss hissed.

Seeing the cylinder on the multi action dust rapier click into position, he calmly reasoned with her. "Why would I ever let out such a secret that would destroy both our reputations? The one you probably have to worry about are Nora and Yang." He argued while shifting his gaze to the two.

"Not one word… either of you!" Weiss hissed at the bubbly redhead and the fiery blonde.

Nora nodded quickly and Yang held her hands up in defeat. "Okay, ok, I won't say a word about this… _Snowflake_."

"Ugh! Yang Xiao Long! I'm gonna sue you one day!" Weiss yelled as she chased after her teammate.

Mars proceeded to pull himself out of the rubble and was met with confused looks, to which he replied. "What? Never seen a man crawl out from rubble before?"

"Who are you?" Ruby asked.

"Funny you should ask missy. The real question is what are you doing here?"

Cipher quickly stepped in between the two, "these kids are here on a tandem mission."

"Tandem mission?" Mars asked.

"They were suppose to clear out some beowolves while we took out the bad guys."

"So you're telling me… I'm not just working with a brat, I'm working with a brat babysitting other brats?"

"You didn't need to put it that way." Ruby whispered with a sad pout.

"Whatever, let's just get out of here and blow this place." Cipher sighed.

"Oh right!" Mars fumbled around his pockets and pulled out the a remote detonator. "Alright kiddos let's get going!" He turned to leave but slipped on a pebble. And dropped the detonator.

"You have got to be kidding me." Cipher deadpanned.

Shaky ground and muffled booms were enough to alert the group of ten about what was next.

"Run!" Someone yelled. The light of the cave entrance disappeared under falling rubble. "Other way!" A different voice yelled.

Running deeper and deeper into the cave they had to dodge falling rocks left and right. Until they reached an old rusty elevator.

"Everyone get in!" Mars ordered.

"Oh no! No, no, no! You avoid elevators in an earthquake." Yang shouted.

"And you avoid bullshit in a shitstorm! Get on the goddamn elevator!"

"Great we get to die in a box." Yang commented as they piled onto the lift.

Watching as the tunnel they were just in started crumbling Cipher looked up and saw the emergency hatch and quickly climbed up.

"What are you doing!?" Ruby questioned.

"Making a bet with Lady Luck." He answered as he drew his sword and sliced the rusted cables keeping the elevator up.

"Keep your knees bent and hold onto the handrails!" Mars ordered.

Noticing the panicked looks on everyone's faces he shouted again, "if you wanna walk afterwords, bend your knees and hold on!"

Doing as he said everyone braced themselves for impact. Hitting ground just a few seconds later they all grumbled and groaned trying to regain focus. Cipher saw a pebble drop on the ground from the hatch.

His eyes widened as he registered what it meant, "everyone, get out of the elevator now!"

Still dizzy from the crash Ruby, Blake, Weiss and Jaune didn't hear him clearly. The others shambled out, Blake and Weiss following unaware of what was happening. Noticing the last two, Cipher quickly yanked the them out of the elevator just in time to avoid getting crushed by falling rocks.

"Everyone alright?" Mars asked between coughs. Cipher made a quick roll-call and confirmed that no one was pancaked.

After resting a few minutes, Mars got up and walked over to Cipher. Without warning he punched the younger man. A left, a right, an uppercut, a knee to the gut. Mars took out his frustrations on Cipher who in turn did nothing to retaliate.

"This was suppose to be a quick torch and burn op!" Letting loose another kick, "what in your crazy mind made you think it was ok to bring a bunch of brats along!?" Mars exclaimed as he continued to beat Cipher. "Now, we're all gonna die here in this godforsaken tomb."

"You satisfied?" Cipher asked through grit teeth. Mars let off one last punch. "Now get off me so we can find a way out."

"Get out!? GET OUT!? AND HOW EXACTLY DO YOU PLAN TO GET US OUT!?" Mars screamed.

"I'll think of something." Cipher said with a stern expression.

"You'll think of something?" Mars echoed with surprise. "YOU"LL THINK OF SOMETHING!? You don't get it do you!? We can't get out of this place! Do you even know what this place is?"

"I'm the last person that wants to be here." Cipher muttered under his breath.

"Why's that?"

"Cipher is just another word for Zero." He whispered.

Mars quickly froze, "a number? All this time you were a fucking number!?"

"I'm not proud of my heritage." Cipher grunted as he pushed the older man off which prompted a short glaring contest.

"Lead the way then, fascist scum." Mars hissed. Nodding in understanding Cipher started walking. The rest were obviously very confused.

"What just happened?" Ruby asked only to be met with equally confused gazes.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok, chapter 3. Took a while… procrastination at it's finest. The character Mars belongs to Shotgun Steve. And thanks so much for anyone still interested in this story.<strong>

**So, please leave a review to let me know whether or not you like this fic. Competition for the front page is fierce on this site and one can get displaced in half a day. Feel free to ask questions, leave suggestions, present OCs or plot ideas of your own for this story to be integrated if thou desire.**


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